15 March 2018

Nihonkoku Shoukan. Volume 1. Chapter 1 Part 8

Please remember that: Frontier is the area outside the Three Great Civilized
Lands.

As always,

DISCLAIMER: There is no guarantee that my translation is 100%
correct. Please correct me if I was wrong.

Plus, if you
want to thank someone go to the guys at Ainushi Translation who give me the RAW
for this LN. They’re the real MVPs.

Author:

みのろう(Minorou)

Translator:

Yukkuri Oniisan!

Editor:

Online Grammar Editor!

Chapter 1

Upheaval

Part 8 - FINAL

Silence reigned above the great ocean.

「…………………………」

Everyone couldn’t believe what had happened in front
of their eyes and no one let out any word.

A wyvern was something that is next to impossible to be
defeated by ships, even for a single unit. However, just by looking at their size,
there were more than 200 units ── yes, more than 200 units of the
elite Wyverns fell down as a rain of blood.

It was not a dream. It would be better if all of this
was just a dream.

「Are we…… fighting against the legendary Mage Emperor Army……?」

In front of the overwhelming strength of the enemy,
Sharkun muttered in an unhinged mental state. His hands were shaking and his feet
also began to shake.

He didn’t know how to say this.

However, the tragedy play didn’t turn a blind eye to them.

On the far side eastern horizon, vessels similar to
the huge monstrous ship in front of them appeared. There were seven.

Perched on their entirely gray hull was the magic
weapons that had mowed down the warship.

Their weapons that previously eliminated warships and wyverns
in the blink of the eye, turned towards Lourian Fleet and unleashed a storm of
destruction.

In Rodenius history, what decides the outcome of a naval
battle is a clash of sailors, which is to say, a melee combat.

Although it is possible to damage the hull with ballista
or ignite them with a fire arrow – though, it rarely burns – to damage the ship
to a certain extent, in practice, the ship is indestructible.

Since the melee combat decided the battle, in the end,
the number of sailors eventually is the deciding factor.

For the invasion this time, they had gathered 4,400 warships.
It would be a different story if the opponent is the Major Powers of the Three Great
Civilized Lands, but it won’t be defeated by a Frontier’s nation. No, with this
great number, they believe they could even compete with the Major Powers of the
Three Great Civilized Lands.

Or so they had, until two hours ago.

✦✧✦✧✦

The shells fired by 7 destroyers steadily sunk a ship
per shell. The attacks were from outside the range their enemies. It was like a
shooting exercise.

The numbers of the roar from main guns of the JMSDF destroyers
was the number of how many Lourian Navy warships sunk. However, 4,400 ships
were a lot.

Perhaps because of confusion or unrest, the Louria
Kingdom Navy was moving chaotically. However, there was no sign of retreat, and
eventually, when 1,400 ships found their rest in the watery grave amongst the
seaweed, the compact-gun’s shell was nearly exhausted.

「Cease firing.」

Debris of what once was ships floated on the entire
sea surface.

『Myoukou』was closing in on the enemy
fleet.

When it reached the 400-meter range, it fired its 12.7
mm machine guns which was once used to counter unidentified ship.[1]
An enemy ship’s hull and deck were filled with holes that it slanted, the oil for
the fire arrow was ignited by the torch fire and engulfed the ship with fire. Another
ship sunk when its inner deck was flooded with water.

The deeds were performed businesslike and one by one, the
enemy ships were sent to the bottom.

More and more, the tragedy that struck Louria Kingdom Navy
continued. Five JGSDF 『AH-1S Cobra』[2] attack helicopters on board the Helicopter Destroyer Izumo joined the
battle.

The attack helicopters fired their Hydra-70 rockets on
the warships underneath. The continuous flying rockets were like a meteor rain that
pulverized the wooden warships. After each unit had spent their 152 rockets[3],
they strafed down with the 20 mm cannons to destroy the warships. In any case, they
didn’t aim at the people. Their entire attacks were targeting the rudders.

Once they completely out of bullets, they returned to 『Izumo』to resupply and resortie.

✦✧✦✧✦

With the surrounding no different from a hunting ground,
the Louria Kingdom Navy fell into a panic.

「Damn it!! Those monsters, we can’t win against that thing! Damn it! Whoaaa!」

One ship, and then yet another ship, one by one as the
time passed by, the friendly ships was sunk at an unbelievable rate.

「………… So, it’s futile.」

Vice-Admiral Sharkun had gone beyond despair and
reached the point of resignation. They can’t win no matter what.

If this situation continues, it will only cause his subordinates
to die for nothing. However, if they surrender and become prisoners of war, there
are no chance Louria people would be spared after the massacre at Gim.

The road left open to him was only the word: retreat.

The large fleet had lost one-third of its ships. If he
returned to the country, he can’t escape the capital punishment. His name will
remain in the history chronicles as an incompetent admiral.

But even so, he couldn’t let his subordinate die more
than this.

『All ships retreat! I repeat, all ships retreat!』

The retreat order was given to every ship by using the
mana communicator.

Just when the flagship on which Sharken was aboard also
tried to retreat, a shell directly hit it.

His subordinate who was blown away from the explosion shockwave
struck him and thrown him off to the sea.

The sight he saw while floating on the sea was the
sight of his ship splitting into two and sinking.

✦✧✦✧✦

「The enemy begins to retreat.」

「All hands, cease firing!」

The order was quickly given.

「So they are abandoning their comrades that floating in the sea and retreat?
…… All hands, if there are survivors in the sea, rescue them!」

The naval battle had ended.

Vice-Admiral Sharkun was rescued by Japanese Maritime
Self Defense Force.

✦✧✦✧✦

Bruay, who was aboard 『Izumo』, which stayed at the rear, completely couldn’t understand what had been
going on. There was frequent exchange of words in the bridge of some sort and it
seems that they were waging a battle at an unseen distance from this place, but
he completely didn’t know what had happened in specific.

The attack helicopters repetitively resupplied and then
flew off. Other than this, he didn’t personally experience the battlefield and the
battle ended just like that with him as a spectator. Even when Louria Kingdom
Fleet began to retreat, he personally didn’t see anything, so it didn’t feel
real.

However, when they arrived at the sea where the battle
happened for the rescue operation and he saw the sea surface in front of the
ship, slowly the realization seeped in. An innumerable floating debris and countless
Lourian sailors covered the sea surface. There were no burned ships. The
wreckages of ship pulverized by a devastating force were floating over an
unbelievable huge expanse of the sea. Amongst them, there were wyvern corpses
scattered everywhere.

Although he didn’t see the battle itself with his
eyes, he understood that it was a complete overwhelming victory.

✦✧✦✧✦

From Bruay’s
Diary Entry of that day.

I was ordered to measure how much is the power of
Japan. It is the duty of a military observer officer. However, how to put this,
I didn’t see the battle at all. No, even the commanding admiral of the Japanese
Fleet didn’t personally see that battle firsthand. When we arrived at the battle
location, it was already Japanese’s complete victory.

There were only the shattered ship wreckages of the
Louria Kingdom Fleet, that had been blown apart by an unbelievably large amount
of explosion magic projections of immense power, drifting on the sea.

Because I didn’t see it, I don’t know how it happened.

After the rescue operation finished, they informed me
that it’s a victory with 250 wyverns and 1400 warships destroyed. Even if the
Japanese ship is so big, there are only 8 of them, moreover, it was in a single
battle. This battle outcome in this very short time span was unprecedented in
the history.

Isn’t this even impossible even for the Great Power Papardia
Empire?

The crisis of my motherland had passed away, it’s a
truly delightful event and I ought to feel happy for it, but Japan’s military
power is strong beyond common sense, so I can’t help but feel…… fear.

I am also greatly troubled about writing the report
for the government. I must give the government a report, which wouldn’t be
believed by anyone, and this made my stomach hurts. There is no doubt that the
same anguish also felt by the captain of warship Pima and the member of the diplomatic
delegation.

We must absolutely never make enemies of Japan. I am
relieved again and again, that Japan, which held a power equal to the Great
Power, or even more, is our allies.

✦✧✦✧✦

At a certain warship
of the Louria Kingdom Eastern Subjugation Fleet.

The Papardia Empire’s military observer officer, Valhal,
was trembling in his room at the warship.

This warship was luckily not sunk, but he personally
witnessed many warships in its surrounding sunk one after another.

His duty was to record in detail how will Lourian
fleet of 4,400 ships curb-stomped the Qua-Toyne Principality.

Even though primitive tactics such as fire arrows from
ballista and ship raiding was fitting for barbarians, he enjoyed this mission due
and personally interested in what would happen if they had these numbers.

However, the enemy ship that appeared was far beyond
his common sense.

Although there was no evidence of them using 『Wind God’s Tear』that speed up sailships, their
ship speed was overwhelmingly fast. To begin with, those ships didn’t have
anything that can be called as a sail.

Regardless of their hull larger than the 100-Cannons Ship-of-the-Line,
it had a huge…… long and slender, but that this was without any doubt, a
cannon. When he saw that the ship was only equipped with a single cannon, it
greatly bothered him that he thought if this was a joke.

He was surprised that there were cannons even though
the barbarian shouldn’t possess one, but a cannon is not accurate. It was hard
to hit things with it, hence why the 100-cannon ship-of-the-line had so many
cannons. Despite that, that cannon could hit from a distance of 3 kilometers
with just one shot. Moreover, it had tremendous power, that easily sunk warships
with just a single hit.

What was more surprising is that they could defend
against waves of wyverns attack. Even his motherland army, employed Dragon
Mothership, to battle wyverns against wyverns. Because their capabilities far surpassed
than the wyverns raised in the barbaric lands, if the number is equal, they would
win. But the enemy this time didn’t have a single wyvern at all.

In the first place, a cannon shouldn’t be able to hit
anything flying in the sky. This is common sense.

But they…… They could even hit a wyvern with a single
shot. He couldn’t think this as a work of man.

If Papardia Empire did things without knowing about their
existence, the Empire might even be in a peril.

Using the mana communicator, Valhar reported what he
had seen, as true as possible, to his home country.

✦✧✦✧✦

Louria Kingdom.
Capital Guard Knights Order Headquarters

After receiving the information of the enemy’s main
fleet discovery, 250 wyverns sortied to attack it. Three hours had passed since
the manacom ceased alongside with their scream.

A cumbrous silence wafted inside the headquarters.

There was no report of them meeting with any other units
and even when it was the time for them to return, not a single Dragoon Knight
returned. The headquarters were wrapped by uneasiness.

「Why they haven’t returned?」

No one answered the face-paled Patagene’s question.

(It can’t be…… they were annihilated……?)

In the history of Rodenius Continent, wyverns are the
strongest creature. However, since they are a valuable species, their numbers weren’t
that many.

The 500 wyverns of Louria Kingdom, gathered to unite
Rodenius Continent was a large force finally gathered after 6 years with the
military assistance from Papardia Empire.

With their overwhelming strength, they are surely able
to conquer Rodenius Continent.

The 250 wyverns that sortied to support the navy would
surely return and grant the greatest military result which will remain in the history.

However, this was not the reality.

He didn’t want to think about it. He didn’t want to
think about it, but there is a high possibility that they were annihilated.

Even if the enemy is an unexpectedly huge fleet, it is
unthinkable that they could completely annihilate 250 wyverns. Can it be, does Qua-Toyne
able to enlist the legendary Divine Dragon Bahamut?

In what way he should report to the Lourian King?

「…… Notify the vanguard army, order 50 wyverns to return back to the headquarters.」

[1]DPRK spy ships disguised as Japanese or
Chinese fishing boats sometimes entered Japanese waters for spying or smuggling
operation. The Japanese Government cunningly called them “unidentified ship”.
After all, they were only firing at unidentified ship, not DPRK. Yup.

[2]Japanese local-built version of USA’s
Bell AH-1F built under license by Fuji Heavy Industries (known as Subaru
Corporation nowadays).

From a bit of research on Google and Wikipedia, at least some AH-1 Cobra models could carry 4 launchers with 19 Hydra 70 rockets each, but that would still only be half that number. I'm no specialist though.

SH-60s for their Navy. There is a huge problem for Japan to put ground attack helicopters on ships. That would no longer be a 'self defence force' but an expeditionary one.

Not to mention a role confusion. Their helicopter carriers are for ASW work, not for ground support, hence the SH-60s. Japan is not allowed to land troops on other people's territory without their permission so there is really no reason to put ground support helicopters on their 'helicopter destroyers'.

The AH-1s they got are attached to the Army, not the Navy. A system they inherited from the Americans.

It was a curb stomp, feels bad the loss of wyverns though, I play ark survival, and I use these a lot, imagining my beautiful Wyvens being mowed down like nothing would be quite painful.. boo hoo rip innocent wyverns.

If you mean nuclear powered subs, the answer is no. Japan has no desire to project military power out into the deep oceans, so diesel electric is a much better (quieter) option for the shallower waters surrounding Japan.

In an engagement between galley fleets like this, ramming was the primary mode of attack by galleys, not boarding. The commander of the Lourian fleet should have very quickly realized that since the enemy was faster, he had no chance of conducting ramming attacks and thus had no chance of winning. But instead he dicks around and gets his fleet wrecked.

And why even bother with the .50 cal fire? Can't the JMSDF fall back, reload and come back again and again with impunity? Why do they need to overextend like that? Author showing off again? It would have been hilarious for the JMSDF to retreat and the Lourians think they won, only for the JMSDF to return the next day... and the next... and the next... while the Lourians gradually realize they're doomed.

I think Japan in such current situation should begin its mass production over weapons such as shells, rockets, missiles and bullets. The country is no longer in terms with the UN shackling them so humanitarian values on a new world is unnecessary if need be in survival.Not only that the country should prioritized creating more destroyers, guns, aircraft, tanks and possibly an aircraft carrier. An aircraft carrier is possible even without the US support since Japan had a lot of engineers and blueprints on it.Also since the nation itself also back on Earth one of the few countries excelled in space technology. They should be able to launch a satellite outside the atmosphere and begin mapping out and enlarging a better network over the new world they're in.

While I do agree they need an arms buildup, I strongly disagree on the carrier. Only amateurs think the carrier is the be all and end all to problems, many times, carriers end up more trouble than they're worth.

Japan has no aircraft that is carrier capable, so even if they could build one, they would have nothing to put on it unless they redesign an aircraft for it, which from historical examples, is approximately a 10 year project. If you want an example of how important this is, google up the Chakri Naruebet from Thailand. The only carrier in the world without aircraft.

I'm just saying anyway about possibility building one. Since even with modern weapons. Magic can counteract that if such an advanced method is capable off. 1 carrier is enough for JSDF in another world. If successfully launching a satellite outside the atmosphere. They could gained an intel of the world they're in.Very likely Japan of its info towards internet no longer possible since it cut off from Earth. So likely radio, media and if satellite made be is still possible.Its seem this Japan maybe different from the one we know and may not have a US camp on Okinawa. An independent country on its own solitude but it could branches of foreign affairs from Earth and those foreigners either abroad in there or got caught up in their vacation had to accept the new reality they're in.

I mean, I dunno how large the main continent is but japan building a Carrier might be very useful. The primary roll of carrier is to extend the range of the plane on board. In this case the Jets would be used to achieve air superiority and CAS. With the problem of lack of carrier capable jeta, Japan has 74(?) old Phantom II jets lying around and Pahntom II does have carrier varients. So it would be not far fetch to say to convert Phantom II to carrier varient.

modifying a plane to be used for aircraft carriers shouldn't be too hard they did develop their own 5th gen fighter based off the U.S. f16. So they should have a large amount of knowledge in naval aircraft's, and if the carriers use a catapult system then even the f15 with some modifications can be used as a naval aircraft after all it did face the f14 as a competitor once I think when the navy was selecting an aircraft for their aircraft carriers.

Did you check how long it took to make the F-2? When I gave a 10 year estimate, that is the time range needed for these things.

I just googled it up, 1987 project first announced, 1996 first plane into production, 2000 first plane into service. Even a 'copy' took 13 years. Other projects had this time range as well.

Even 'simply' slapping a reinforced landing gear and tailhook will take a serious redesign of the aircraft for a simple reason. You don't know if the undercarriage is strong enough to take being yanked off by the tailhook. Last thing you need is half your bottom hull on the 3-wire...and the rest of your plane still going forward. It's not as simple as 'Just bolt on a tailhook'.

They'd be far better off looking up specs on older, proven designs, at least at first. Not only would they be easier and cheaper to build, but it's not like they have to worry about IP owners suing them over manufacturing rights. I may be biased, being British, but Harrier VTOLs would be amazingly useful in their situation